The imperfect indicative is formed by adding the endings -avo, -evo, -ivo (for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd conjugations respectively) to the stem of the verb. It is the most regular of all the tenses of Italian verbs.

The question of aspect and the choice of imperfect or perfect is very important when referring to the past in Italian, particularly in situations where the two past forms are used in the same sentence.

Segue una sintesi dei casi più comuni di uso dell’indicativo:

Here is a summary of the most common cases when the imperfect indicative is used: